New Residential Construction (ASTARTS, TOTAL) · Housing units started, all units, seasonally adjusted annual rate
How many new homes are started in the United States?
The annual rate of housing units started was 1,221 thousand in the month ended , down 7.4% from a year earlier.
Housing units started in the United States, seasonally adjusted, each month
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Housing units started in the United States, change from a year earlier, each month (ours)
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to , to .
Shaded bands are US recessions as the National Bureau of Economic Research dates them: to .
Each point is one month of the series as the source publishes it, or a change worked out from those values (ours). The US recessions are shaded. Pointing at the chart shows the month and the value.
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Inspect and compare dates
The newest month beside the one before it and the nearest ones a year, five and ten years earlier. The last ten years are in the table under "The numbers behind the chart".
| Measure | Latest | The month before | A year earlier | Five years earlier | Ten years earlier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | |||||
| Housing units started in the United States | 1,221 thousand | 1,288 thousand | 1,319 thousand | 1,576 thousand | 1,068 thousand |
| Change over a year | −7.4% | −0.2% | −2.8% | +7.0% | −12.7% |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
Observed .
Right now
The annual rate of housing units started was 1,221 thousand in September 2026, the lowest since May 2026.
Over a year it is down 7.4% (ours).
ChangeOurs
| Period | Then | Change |
|---|---|---|
| One month | 1,288 thousand in | −5.2% |
| Three months | 1,439 thousand in | −15.1% |
| Twelve months | 1,319 thousand in | −7.4% |
| Five years | 1,576 thousand in | −22.5% |
| Ten years | 1,068 thousand in | +14.3% |
In historyOurs
The annual rate of housing units started of 1,221 thousand in was higher than in 204 of the 812 other months since , the same in 1 and lower in 607.
Highest since : 2,494 thousand in . Lowest since : 478 thousand in .
AverageOurs
Average since : 1,430.2 thousand (ours, a plain mean of the 813 months).
ComparedOurs
Over a year the annual rate of housing units started is down 7.4%, which ranks 5 of the 9 rows of the table, where 1 is the largest change.
The table sets the annual rate of housing units started beside the lines of the housing starts, permits and completions page, by the change over a year in each one's newest month.
Understanding the annual rate of housing units started
Where it stands today
The annual rate of housing units started was 1,221 thousand in September 2026.
What does the annual rate of housing units started measure?
Housing units started counts new homes of every kind, in single-family houses and in buildings of two or more units, in the United States. The Census Bureau estimates it each month and publishes it as a seasonally adjusted annual rate.
Read more
What 500metrics adds: the change over one month, three months, a year and five years, the highest and lowest value since the series begins, and how the change over a year compares with the other lines of the housing starts, permits and completions page.
The numbers behind the chart
What was the annual rate of housing units started in each month?The last ten years, 120 months, newest first; the chart and the file have every month since Jan 1959
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 1,221 thousand | −7.4% | |
| 1,288 thousand | −0.2% | |
| 1,369 thousand | −4.4% | |
| 1,439 thousand | +4.4% | |
| 1,182 thousand | −8.3% | |
| 1,414 thousand | +1.0% | |
| 1,522 thousand | +13.1% | |
| 1,346 thousand | −9.7% | |
| 1,385 thousand | +2.4% | |
| 1,378 thousand | −7.8% | |
| 1,319 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 1,273 thousand | −7.1% | |
| 1,319 thousand | −2.8% | |
| 1,291 thousand | −7.4% | |
| 1,432 thousand | +12.8% | |
| 1,379 thousand | +4.6% | |
| 1,289 thousand | −3.0% | |
| 1,400 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 1,346 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 1,491 thousand | −4.1% | |
| 1,353 thousand | −1.8% | |
| 1,494 thousand | −0.7% | |
| 1,300 thousand | −14.6% | |
| 1,370 thousand | −0.7% |
Show 96 more rows
| Month | Value | Change over a year |
|---|---|---|
| 1,357 thousand | −0.9% | |
| 1,394 thousand | +5.5% | |
| 1,269 thousand | −13.3% | |
| 1,318 thousand | −7.2% | |
| 1,329 thousand | −17.4% | |
| 1,379 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 1,297 thousand | −5.1% | |
| 1,555 thousand | +11.5% | |
| 1,378 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 1,504 thousand | +16.0% | |
| 1,522 thousand | +6.1% | |
| 1,380 thousand | −4.6% | |
| 1,369 thousand | −7.6% | |
| 1,321 thousand | −13.8% | |
| 1,464 thousand | +5.9% | |
| 1,420 thousand | −8.7% | |
| 1,609 thousand | +4.1% | |
| 1,343 thousand | −25.7% | |
| 1,366 thousand | −19.6% | |
| 1,395 thousand | −19.4% | |
| 1,358 thousand | −19.8% | |
| 1,296 thousand | −24.3% | |
| 1,434 thousand | −16.0% | |
| 1,446 thousand | −8.9% | |
| 1,481 thousand | −6.0% | |
| 1,532 thousand | −4.0% | |
| 1,382 thousand | −13.6% | |
| 1,556 thousand | −6.5% | |
| 1,546 thousand | −3.4% | |
| 1,807 thousand | +21.4% | |
| 1,700 thousand | +0.7% | |
| 1,730 thousand | +23.7% | |
| 1,693 thousand | +4.2% | |
| 1,711 thousand | +6.0% | |
| 1,707 thousand | +10.6% | |
| 1,587 thousand | +2.9% | |
| 1,576 thousand | +7.0% | |
| 1,596 thousand | +14.3% | |
| 1,600 thousand | +4.8% | |
| 1,664 thousand | +31.4% | |
| 1,600 thousand | +54.0% | |
| 1,489 thousand | +59.1% | |
| 1,688 thousand | +33.3% | |
| 1,398 thousand | −9.7% | |
| 1,624 thousand | +2.7% | |
| 1,614 thousand | +4.3% | |
| 1,543 thousand | +14.0% | |
| 1,543 thousand | +16.5% | |
| 1,473 thousand | +12.4% | |
| 1,396 thousand | +1.5% | |
| 1,526 thousand | +23.1% | |
| 1,266 thousand | +1.9% | |
| 1,039 thousand | −19.6% | |
| 936 thousand | −26.4% | |
| 1,266 thousand | +6.3% | |
| 1,549 thousand | +38.2% | |
| 1,581 thousand | +29.0% | |
| 1,548 thousand | +41.4% | |
| 1,353 thousand | +14.6% | |
| 1,325 thousand | +8.5% | |
| 1,311 thousand | +4.9% | |
| 1,375 thousand | +6.8% | |
| 1,240 thousand | +2.6% | |
| 1,243 thousand | +4.3% | |
| 1,293 thousand | −4.7% | |
| 1,272 thousand | −0.3% | |
| 1,191 thousand | −9.6% | |
| 1,121 thousand | −12.2% | |
| 1,226 thousand | −5.6% | |
| 1,095 thousand | −7.0% | |
| 1,181 thousand | −7.2% | |
| 1,221 thousand | −2.9% | |
| 1,250 thousand | +5.8% | |
| 1,288 thousand | +11.1% | |
| 1,208 thousand | +0.2% | |
| 1,192 thousand | −4.6% | |
| 1,357 thousand | +17.3% | |
| 1,276 thousand | +11.3% | |
| 1,318 thousand | +10.8% | |
| 1,277 thousand | +0.5% | |
| 1,299 thousand | +9.2% | |
| 1,177 thousand | −6.0% | |
| 1,273 thousand | +11.7% | |
| 1,257 thousand | −4.3% | |
| 1,181 thousand | +10.6% | |
| 1,159 thousand | −1.0% | |
| 1,206 thousand | −2.7% | |
| 1,249 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 1,157 thousand | +0.8% | |
| 1,146 thousand | −1.5% | |
| 1,190 thousand | +7.1% | |
| 1,271 thousand | +3.8% | |
| 1,190 thousand | +9.0% | |
| 1,252 thousand | +9.2% | |
| 1,140 thousand | −2.7% | |
| 1,313 thousand | +24.1% |
How does it compare with the lines of the housing starts, permits and completions page?Ranked by the change over a year
| Series | Month | Value | Change over a year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family starts | 859 thousand | +2.6% | 1 | |
| Permits for buildings of 5 units or more | 501 thousand | +0.6% | 2 | |
| Building permits | 1,398 thousand | −3.2% | 3 | |
| Single-family permits | 846 thousand | −4.7% | 4 | |
| Housing starts (this page) | 1,221 thousand | −7.4% | 5 | |
| Single-family completions | 840 thousand | −11.0% | 6 | |
| Housing completions | 1,192 thousand | −14.0% | 7 | |
| Completions in buildings of 5 units or more | 339 thousand | −20.4% | 8 | |
| Starts in buildings of 5 units or more | 349 thousand | −25.9% | 9 |
The table scrolls sideways; the first column stays in place.
What do these figures leave out, and how are they cited?Limits, dates and how to cite
What this number cannot tell you
- The values come from the Census Bureau's Survey of Construction and Building Permits Survey, so each carries sampling error; the Census Bureau publishes its size and revises earlier months in later releases.
- Permits are the housing units authorized by building permits in places that issue permits. A start is the digging for the foundation of a building; a completion is a building ready for use. Total counts include buildings of 2 to 4 units; the lines for buildings of 5 units or more and for single-family houses do not add up to it.
- The values are annual rates: the number of units that would be authorized, started or completed in a year at the pace of the month, after the Census Bureau's seasonal adjustment.
- The changes, the ranks and the highest and lowest values are ours, worked out from the values the Census Bureau publishes; a change is in percent.
- This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Observed . Checked .
How to cite this
U.S. Census Bureau, Economic Indicators. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau., Housing units started, all units, seasonally adjusted annual rate, through September 2026. Compiled by 500metrics, "How many new homes are started in the United States?", https://500metrics.com/housing-starts/starts.
Can the data be downloaded?housing-starts-starts.csv
Download the full history as CSV: 813 rows, to , 14,537 bytes.
Our text and compilation: CC BY 4.0.
Recession dates from the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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